360 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



SPANISH SALSIFY. — Scolymus Hispanicus, Linn. 



A vegetable which promises to be of considerable value in this country, 

 if once generally introduced, is the so-called Spanish salsify, a native of 

 southern Europe. I have grown this for two years. It makes a root much 

 like salsify, except that it is much lighter colored and considerably longer. 

 Its flavor is less pronounced than that of salsify, but when carefully cooked 

 it possesses a very agreeable quality which is somewhat intermediate 

 between that of the salsify and parsnip. It is adapted to all the methods 

 of cooking employed for those vegetables. The particular value of the 

 vegetable, aside from affording a variety in the kitchen garden, is its large 

 size and productiveness as compared with the salsify. We raise almost 

 twice the crop upon a given area that we can secure from salsify, and no 

 doubt it could be sold for that vegetable in the general market. The seeds 

 are much easier to handle and sow than those of the salsify. It is sown 

 and cultivated in exactly the same manner as that vegetable, and can be 

 dug either in the fall or spring. Perhaps the greatest disadvantage of the 

 plant is the very prickly leaves, which may make it uiq:)leasant to handle. 

 But on the whole, it is worth introduction into American gardens. Seeds 

 are offered by some American seedsmen. Spanish salsify is closely allied 

 to the cardoon and artichoke, and its young leaves are sometimes bleached 

 and eaten like cardoons. Nicholson, in Dictionary of Gardening, writes 

 that " the roots of Solymus Hispanicus are equally as good as scorzonera 

 ( the black salsify ) ; the leaves and stalks are eaten as cardoons by the peo- 

 ple of Salamanca; the flowers are employed for the adulteration of saffron." 

 Naudin who is one of the highest authorities upon cultivated plants, makes 

 these remarks about the species: " It is a compositous biennial of the 

 Mediterranean region, common in the middle of France and Spain, utilized 

 as a vegetable, but cultivated only in Spain, especially about Madrid. The 

 plant is spiny and has the appearance of a yellow-flowered thistle. In 

 France only the root is eaten, and this resembles that of the salsify; in 

 Spain the midribs and petioles of the leaves are eaten, and these are sold in 

 great quantities upon the streets of cities during many months of the 

 year. As with other plants, this is capable of amelioration by cultivation, 

 and it is to be regretted that it is neglected in France and that people are 

 content to gather it in the wild state. The root is a better vegetable 

 than that of the salsify or the scorzonera." The plant was brought to the 

 attention of American gardeners nearly thirty years ago by Burr. He 

 gave directions for its cultivation, and wrote as follows of the quality: 

 " They have a pleasant, delicate flavor and are considered to be not only 

 healthful, but remarkably nutritious." An account of it is given in the 

 American Horticultural Annual for 1871, and the following remarks are 

 made: " It does not seem to be quite as hardy as the salsify, some of our 

 plants which were left out for experiment being found partly decayed in 

 the spring. The root is considerably larger than the salsify, and less 

 trouble to prepare, does not require so much care in cooking to prevent it 

 from turning dark-colored, and has a milder flavor, which is by some pre- 

 ferred to that of the salsify. On the other hand the plant, being prickly, 

 is somewhat unpleasant to handle, the roots being longer and more brittle 

 are more difficult to dig, and the center is somewhat fibrous. The last 

 named difficulty is overcome by the French by first boiling the roots, and 

 then splitting them longitudinally and removing the tough center, which 



